Elevating apparatus



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ELEVAT I NG APPARATUS Filed Aug. 15, 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet l at); k

Aug. 6, 1929. a s, SN W 1,723,713

ELEVATING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 13, 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 I Aug. 6, 1-929. VB, 5. S OW 1 1,723,713 I ELEVATING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 13, 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Aug. 6, 1929. B. s. sNow r 1,723,713

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ELEVATING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 15, 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 I L/garfwz (5 (5526214 Patented Aug. 6, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BARTON S. SNOW, OF BATAVIA, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO T. W. SNOW' CONSTRUCTION 00., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

n ELEVATING APPARATUS.

Application filed August 13, 1926. Serial No. 128,974.

My invention relates, more particularly, to apparatus involving a receptacle movable up and down under the control of hoisting mechanism, from a lower position in which it is loaded, as from a hopper, to an upper position in which it delivers its contents to a receptacle, or vice versa, such a type of apparatus being commonly employed at coaling stations for locomotive tenders for which use I have more particularly devised my invention, but not to the exclusion of other uses.

My primary objects, generally stated, are to provide improvements in elevating apparatus, more particularly oi? the type stated, to the end that the apparatus may be more compact, occupying less space and being rendered more economical of construction; to provide improvements in the hoisting mechanism to the end that the frame portion thereof may present great rigidity; to provide hoisting mechanism of the type employing means, such as time-controlled limit switch. mechanism, for automatically controlling the movement of the hoisting receptacle in both directions, to the end that the construction will be simplified, rendered more economical of manufacture and minimize danger of damag should the portion of. the apparatus (li rectly connected with the switch controlling mechanism, become impaired; and other objects as will be manifest from the following description.

Referring to the accompanying drawmuse- Figure 1 is a View in sectional elevation of the lower portion of a locomotive coalingz station constructed in accordance with my invention. Figure 2 is a similar view of the upper portion of the apparatus shown in Fig.

Figure 3 is an enlarged plan sectional view taken at the line 33 on Fig. 1 and viewed in the direction of the arrows, this View showing, the hoisting mechanism and bucket guides only, these guides, and a por tion of the hoisting mechanism hein shown in section. Figure 4 is a front view of the hoisting mechanism. Figure 5 is a view in side elevation thereof. Figure 6 is a section taken at the line 6-6 on Fig. 2 and viewed in the direction of the arrows; and Figure 7 a section taken at the line 7 on Fig. 2 and viewed in the direction of the arrow, showing the bucket in. dumoing position.

The structure shown, which is generally like that disclosed in Letters Patent N 0. 1,544,280, issued June 30, 1925, is generally in the form of an upright housing cou'iprising a sub-structure I10 and a relatively attenuated shell-like upright structure 11 Slll'll'lUlllllI-lllg the sub-structure. The substructure 10 is so shaped as to present an upwardly opening compartment 12 in which the hoisting mechanism hereinafter referred to for actuating the bucket, is located, the compartment 12 opening at its lower end into a shattlil forming a bucket pit, an opening 14 in the side wall of which communicates with a hopper 1.5 across the upper end of which railway tracks, represented nus and upon which the cars carrying the material to be delivered to the apparatus, extend.

The superstructiu'e 11. is mounted on the sub-structure 10 in substantially vertical alignment therewith and anchored thereto in any suitable way. .The space within the shellll. intermediate its upper and. lower ends, is divided, by a partition, represented at 17 and oi. U-shape in cross section, into two compartments l8 and 19, the compartment 18 bein open at its upper and lower ends and aligning: with the shaft 13 and forming a portion of thehucket way in which the hoisting bucket, hereinafter referred to, travels.

The conuiartn'uuit 19 which is provided for receiving the elevated material and holding it in storage, subject to withdrawal therefrom, as for example to fill a tender on a track (not shown) and located at the side of the appa ratusopposite that at which the tracks 16 extend, is open at its top and its bottom wall 20 inclines downwardly as represented in Fig. l, the wall of the shell 11 adjacent the lower edge of the inclined wall 20 containing an outlet 21 communicating with a valve-controlled chute 22 for directing material disch arcing from the storage chamber 19 to the desired point oi discharge, as for example, to the tender on the track below it.

The elevating mechanism. in the particular construction shown, involves a single bucket represented at 23 which is guided in its up and down movements by vertical guideways 24 which extend upwardly through the shaft 13, the housing 12 and the shell 11, (these guides being located in the compartment 18) i which rollers hereinafter referred to, on the bucket travel. The angle irons 25 at their upper ends, adjacent the point at which the bucket is to be dumped are bent to provide the substantially horizontally extending portions 27,and the angle irons 26 extend upwardly above the portions 27, as shown.

The bucket 23 is open at its upper end and is provided on opposite sides thereof adjacent its up er edge, with, rollers 28 (hereinafter referred to) journalled thereon at studs 29, these rollers extending into, and being movable up and down in, the channels 27 of the guides. Extending crosswise beneath the bucket 23 is a shaft 30, which is journalled in depending ears 31 on the bucket, with its ends extending beyond the sides of the latter. The shaft is provided at its ends with heads 32 containing vertically disposed grooves 33 into which the oppositely facing flanges of the angle irons 26 extend and on which latter these heads are vertically slidable.

' The bucket 23 is caused to travel throughout the greater portion of its path in the upright position shown in Fig. 1 by the engagement with the guides, of the devices above described, the parts being so proportioned and arranged that when the bucket 23. in rising, nears theupper end of its travel. the rollers 28 run out upon the horizontal rail portions 27, and the bucket assumes the dumping position illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 2 in which it discharges the material elevated thereby into the storage compartment 19, the bucket becoming automatically righted from the lowering thereof to the position shown in Fig. 2. e

The operating mechanism for the bucket comprises hoisting mechanism represented generally at 34 and shown in detail in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, this apparatus controlling the bucket throu h the medium of a pair of cables 35 and 36 which connect with the hoisting apparatus as hereinafter described, and extend upwardly therefrom over spaced sheaves 37 an 38 journalled on sets 39 and 40 of spaced cross beams located in the upper portion of the superstructure 11 and rigidly secured thereto, the free endsof the cables 35 and 36 being connected with the heads 32, in any suitable way, at the points indicated at 41 and 42, respectively. I

The hoisting mechanism referred to and which is shown as supported on the floor 43 of the compartment 12 is of the elcctric motor driven type having means for automatically moving the bucket from filling to discharging position and vice versa, and maintaining the bucket at rest in both of those positions for a predetermined length of time to permit of the filling of the bucket and the discharging thereof, respectively. The construction shown comprises a pair of side frames 44 rigidly connected together in spaccd relation by a stationary shaft 45 and front and rear cross members 46, 47 and 48. The electric motor for operating the hoisting mechanism is represented at 49 and is shown as mounted on the cross member 48. The armature shaft of the motor 49 carries a pinion 50 which meshes with a gear 51 rigid on a, shaft 52 journalled in the frame of the hoist and provided with a pinion 53 meshing with a gear rigid on a shaft 55 journalled in the frame and provided at its ends with pinions 5(3 and 57 which mesh, respectively, with internal gears provided on cable drums 58 and 59, respectively, journalled on the ends of the stationary shaft 45 and located beyond the sides of the frame. the internal gear of drum 58 only being shown, this gear being represented at 60. It will be understood from the foregoing that by the gear connections thus provided between the motor and the drums 58 and 59, these drums are rotated from the motor in one direction, or the other, depending upon the direction in which the rotor of the motor is rotated. The peripheries of the drums are provided with spiral grooves as represented at 61 to receive end portions of the cables 35 and 36 which are connected at their extremities with the respective drums, as for example as represented at 62 of the drum 58. The shaft 55 is screw-threaded as represented at 63 at which portion this shaft has screw-threadcd engagement with a block 64 provided at one end with an arm 65 having a sleeve portion (36 surrounding the shaft 45 and slidable thereon for guiding the block 64 in its movement along the shaft 55 when rotated in either direction, the block 34 having a finger 67 extending in the opposite'direction and equipped at its outer extremity with a roller 8 journa led thereon.

The apparatus also involves so-callcd limit switches, electrical mechanism controlled thereby and operating mechanism for such switches, for controlling the current to the motor 49 for operating it first in one direction and then in the other to raise and lower the bucket, respectively, with the desired interval of rest between each cycle of operations. As elevating apparatuses are commonly provided with such limit switches and electrical motor mechanism controlled thereby, the limit switches being actuated by the buckets of such apparatuses and such limit switches and electrical mechanism controlled thereby are well known in the art, detailed description thereof appears to be unneces- In the arrangement shown such limitswitch mechanisms are located in the housings 72 and 73 and in combination with the electrical mechanism (not shown) and cooperating therewith and located in casing 69, control the raising and lowering of the bucket. In the arrangement shown the limit switches in the housings 72 and 73 are controlled through the medium of the rocking bell crank members 7 0 and 71 which are pivotally supported on housings 72 and 73 mounted on, and slidable along, the cross bar 46, to vary the positions thereon, as desired, by means of the threaded adjusting rods 74 and 75 rotatably mounted in the frame of the hoist and having threaded engagement with these housings. The levers 70 and 71 extend generally in a direction lengthwise of the shaft 63 and are provided at their adjacent ends with rollers 77 and 78, respectively, which extend into the path of movement of the finger 67 and in the engagement of the latter therewith, rock upwardly at their roller-equipped ends to effect the desired conditioning of the limit switch mechanism controlled thereby. Thus assumin g that the hoisting mechanism is operating in the direction to raise the bucket 23, in which operation the finger 67 would be moved to the right in Fig. 4, the engagement of the linger 67 with the roller 78 immediately before the bucket has reached the dumping, dotted, position in Fig. 2, operates to rock the lever 71 to break the circuit through the motor 49, the motor remaining at rest during the time interval for which the switch mechanism is set. Upon the lapsing of this time interval the controller mechanism automatically supplies current to the motor for operating it in the reverse direction, to permit the bucket to lower, the finger 67 in this movement of the bucket moving to the left in Fig. 4. The finger 67 engages the roller 77, immediately before the bucket reaches lowermost position, and rocks the lever 70 which so affects the limit switch mechanism referred to that the supply of current to the motor is arrested and the motor remains idle until the interval of time for which the limit switch mechanism is set, has lapsed, whereupon this controller mechanism automatically again starts the motor into operation but in a reverse direction to lift the bucket, this cycle of operations, being continued automatically until the supply of current to the limit switch mechanism is discontinued.

The housings 72 and 73 carrying the levers 70 and 71, being adjustable toward or away from each other as explained, the mechanism is rendered adjustable to any particular length of path it is desired he traveled by the bucket, the more widely the spacing of these housings the greater the travel of the bucket between dumping and filling positions and the closer the spacing of these housings the shorter the travel of the bucket. While the bucket is shown in lowern'iost position in Fig.- 1, the switch controlling mechanism is shown in the position it assumes when the bucket is in a position substantially midway between filling and dumping positions. Fur-- thermore, where the bucket is caused to travel throughout a path of the length indicated by the drawings, the housings 72 and 73 would be adjusted to be more widely spaced apart than shown in the drawings.

By connecting together the sides of the frame of the hoisting mechanism by the stationary shaft 45 on which the drums 58 and 59 are revolubly mounted, the frame is rendered very rigid and permits of the positioning of the hoisting mechanism relative to the bucket 23 as shown in the drawings, namely, in a position in which the drums extend into overlapped position relative to the opposite sides of the bucket, the hoisting mechanism in effect straddling the bucket and thereby rendering the elevating structure very compact with consequent economy in space and construction. Furthermore, by the fixed shaft feature just referred to, the side frames are tied together in line with the center of the load imposed on the hoisting mechanism. a feature which augments the rigidity of the frame.

In the case of the structure shown, not only is the construction thereof simplified and rendered less expensive of construction, but danger of accidents is greatly minimized inasmuch as the sup ort and drive for the finger 67 is the shaft t irough which the drums are driven, and danger of breakage thereof is quite remote.

While I have illustrated and described a particular embodiment of my invention, and. illustrated b improved hoisting mechanism as employed in a particular situation, I do not wish to be understood as intending to limit it thereto, as the structure may be variously modified and altered and used in other situations, without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

'1. Hoisting mechanism comprising frame sides, a shaft extending at its opposite ends throu 11 said frame sides, drums on the ends of said shaft and provided with internal gears, a second shaft extending at its opposite ends through said frame sides, and gears on the ends of said second shaft meshing with said internal gears.

2. Hoisting mechanism comprising frame sides, a stationary shaft extending at its opposite ends through said frame sides and connecting the latter together, drums journalled on the ends of said shaft beyond said frame sides, a second shaft extending at its opposite ends through said frame sides, and means on r the ends of said second shaft engaging said frame sides and provided with internal gears, drums for driving the latter. 4 a second shaft extending at its opposite ends 3. Hoisting mechanism comprising frame through said frame sides, and gears on the sides, a stationary shaft extending at its opends of said second shaft meshing with said posite ends through said frame sides and internal gears for driving said drums. connecting the latterto'gether, drums journalledon'the ends of said shaft beyond said BARTON S. SNOW. 

